Bluetooth support added to iSamurai's deadly arsenal

Aharon Etengoff, 10th July 2009

San Francisco (CA) - Toy Kite has enabled Bluetooth support for its popular sword fighting game. iSamurai - which utilizes Apple's recently released 3.0 software - is reportedly the first "Wii-like" title for the iPhone.

"iSamurai Bluetooth makes it possible for two people to have a sword fight with their iPhones without having to track down a Wi-Fi network. Also, unlike games for the Wii, iSamurai does not require a TV," Toy Kite Research and Promotion Director Doug Hogg told TG Daily. "When you play, you watch your opponent and react to his or her moves directly. With games like iSamurai and others in the queue, some people may decide they have all the gaming machine they need in their very portable iPhone and forgo getting a Sony PSP or Nintendo DSI."

According to Hogg, advanced accelerometer analysis allows each iPhone to distinguish between four distinct attacks and blocks. Indeed, the two devices communicate their actions to each other over Bluetooth and utilize realistic sounds to indicate whether an attack was successful or repelled.

iSamurai also offers a single-player mode with twelve levels of difficulty, along with four unique characters: peasant, apprentice, warrior and samurai.

Other features include:

Animated tutorial of various attacks and blocks.

Training "Dojo" where a player can practice different iSamurai moves.

Report of final scores with images depicting the winner and loser.

iSamurai is currently available on Apple's iTunes Store for $.99 (USD).